Man arrested after US forces flight to divert

OLGA RODRIGUEZ

Monday

May 31, 2010 at 6:34 AMMay 31, 2010 at 4:24 PM

MEXICO CITY — An Aeromexico flight from Paris to Mexico was forced to divert to Montreal after U.S. authorities refused to let the plane use U.S. airspace, and a man onboard was taken off and arrested under an outstanding warrant, officials and passengers said.

MEXICO CITY — An Aeromexico flight from Paris to Mexico was forced to divert to Montreal after U.S. authorities refused to let the plane use U.S. airspace, and a man onboard was taken off and arrested under an outstanding warrant, officials and passengers said.

The man, who officials did not name, was arrested Sunday at Montreal's Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport, said Lauren Gaches, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Transportation Security Administration.

Other passengers on Aeromexico Flight 006 from Charles De Gaulle Airport to Mexico City were re-screened and allowed to re-board the flight, Gaches said. The plane arrived in Mexico City about 3:30 a.m. EDT (0730GMT) Monday.

She gave no further details. As a matter of policy, the TSA does not confirm or deny whether a person appears on a government watch list.

"The United States' ability to refuse entry into its territory of any flight it deems to present a threat to its security is recognized by numerous countries and is consistent with international agreements," Gaches said.

Passengers coming off the plane told The Associated Press that six Canadian police officers had boarded in Montreal, handcuffed the man and led him off the aircraft. They said the man did not resist.

"He was calm as if he knew what was going to happen," said Mauricio Oliver, a 36-year-old Mexican passenger. "They handcuffed him and they took him."

Oliver said a flight attendant told him the man was from Somalia, but other passengers gave conflicting information about his nationality.

French passenger Christian Collier, 63, said everyone aboard remained calm during the incident.

A spokesman for Canada Border Services, Dominque McNeely, said there was no incident on the aircraft and that law-enforcement officials boarded the plane around 2:30 p.m. Sunday and took the suspect into custody.

"The flight landed and we had excellent cooperation with everyone involved," he said.

McNeely said the man was being detained in Montreal and a detention hearing would be held in the next 48 hours.

A Royal Canadian Mounted Police official said officers assisted Canada Border Services.

In Mexico City, Aeromexico did not respond to questions for comment.

The Paris Airport Authority did not immediately comment Monday on the flight or what passport control measures had been carried out on the passenger at Charles de Gaulle before the flight left.